Whispers in the Dark
by Depths of Silence
Summary: Relena’s list: Hotel, check. Tickets, check. Guys being dragged to the airplane, check. Plans for the two weeks, check. To be kidnapped, check. Wait. Say what? Heero/Relena; Trowa/OC
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Everything here belongs to _Yoshiyuki Tomino_, _Hajime Yadate_, and _Katsuyuki Sumizawa_. I only own my own characters and the plot of this fic. Nothing else is mine. Ah, and the title of this fic, _Whispers in the Dark, _belongs to the band **Skillet**.

**Title:** Whispers in the Dark

**Rating:** T

**Genres:** Drama, Romance, Adventure, Friendship, Humour, Angst

**Warnings:** Language  
_**Main**_**Pairings:** Heero/Relena, Trowa/OC 

**Romantic **_**Hints: **_Not sure, I may write a little bit about the rest of the guys and their respective muses.  
**Summary:** Relena's list: Hotel, check. Tickets, check. Guys being dragged into the airplane, check. Plans for the two weeks, check. To be kidnapped, check. Wait. Say _what?_ [Heero/Relena; Trowa/OC

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So, this is my first time trying to write a (proper) _Gundam Wing_ fic. There's a little bit of angst because I thought it would work well with the plot, but it has drama, romance, humour and adventure as well. I have no idea if I did a good job, but I'll leave that for my readers to decide. It took me a while to come up with enough courage to post this, but now that I did, I can only hope that at least someone will be honest with me, and express his/her feelings. I also must apologize for the errors you'll find in every page; since **English** is my _**second**_ language, it's rather hard for me to correct the mistakes that I leave on every page before posting the new chapter.

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**Whispers in the Dark**

_**Prologue**_

Had she been born as an average girl, she would probably be thrilled with the sight in front of her. Three travelling bags, already full and closed, were resting by the feet of her bed, waiting to be used. Her room was clean, but there was a notepad on her bed, a pen lying close to it. Even from afar it was easy to see that words had been written on the first page, and with a sigh she walked towards the bed.

As she grabbed the notepad, she sat down on the mattress, and rested her left ankle behind her right one before looking down at what she was holding. It was true that she had wanted to do that for quite some time, but now that everything was ready she had to admit she was not exactly overjoyed with the perspective of vacations.

Sure she had worked hard to be able to have those two weeks off, but she only did so because she was tired of having people nagging her about looking more tired than usual. Even her mother had put some pressure on that matter. So, in order to calm everybody down, she requested for some favours before deciding to inform her mother that she was going to a small, secluded island on Earth.

However, she knew her mother had been taken by surprise when she had requested for five other people to accompany her on those vacations. Sure it had been extremely complicated to find them, but after a long period searching for them and an even longer period convincing them, they finally gave up, and accepted the invitation.

And that had been how she ended up in that situation, her bags packed, and everything ready for those upcoming weeks. Silently, she stared down at the notepad, and started reading what she had written on the previous night. Yes, she had made sure that everything had been taken cared of so that the boys could not find a reason to complain.

"Hotel, check. Tickets, check. Heero, Duo, Quatre and Wufei's tickets, check. Plans for the two weeks, check." with a sigh, Relena rested her chin on her left hand as she continued studying what she had written. There was no need to buy Trowa a ticket because his circus was going to be on the island she had chosen. How that was possible, Relena did not know, but she had decided a long time ago not to ponder much about such things.

So, that was it. There was nothing else she could do, at least, not that she could remember. She had made sure that the boys had things to do when at the island; there was the beach, the hotel's pools, stables, tennis and football fields, and a technological centre where people could spend some time at the computers and such. There was also a fantastic library that made part of the hotel, and a small village where they could for a walk.

She just hoped those things were enough for the pilots, although, for some reason, she could already picture them getting all bored. She knew they missed those times when they would go on missions and blast things up while protecting the innocent. The thing was that they were simply too proud and too quiet to admit it.

With a sigh, Relena lay down on her back, and stared at the ceiling of her room. Oh, she just hoped everything went according to plans, because she was not entirely in the mood to deal with five bored guys.

Quietly, the young woman rolled to her side, and stared down at the notepad that fell from her lap. Plus, she also hoped that those vacations would do something to her relationship with Heero; heavens knew she was dying for something to shake their bond…

"Heero…" Relena whispered before closing her eyes, the corner of her lips curling up into a small smile. Yes, she hoped that those vacations would help her to show Heero how much she wanted their relationship to work out.

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Bullets of all shapes and sizes continuously cursed the earth; bullets of lead, metal, sweat, tears, blood…. The melody of that war was rich in pitched screams and in fading begs. The stars from the clear sky were the twinkling replacement of every single life that was lost.

The taunting of death was so real that the shadows moved as if they were its lifeless and gelid fingers. The adrenaline to stay alive was so extreme that it reached the point of ripping every muscle of a fighter that had moved in order to avoid an attack…

The chaos that encircled every shaky breath continued to draw insanity to the already troubled minds of all soldiers. And the desperate conclusion that there was no way to escape from that massacre was enough to burn lungs and force people to scream on top of their voices.

There was no way out…

There was simply no getaway except for the never ending abysm of death…

Suddenly a torso shut upwards, sweat rolling down a naked chest while a pair of green orbs were lost in turmoil of the past. As he took a deep breath, the young man closed his eyes, and tried to stabilize his heartbeat. Then, he rested a hand against his forehead as he continued struggling against the ghosts that haunted his memories. Those nightmares were becoming too frequent now. They had started shortly after the end of the war, but now they simply did not stop.

When his mind was finally free of every ghost from his past, he dropped his hand, and stared down at his palms. His nightmares were connected with real situations that he had been forced to experience, and therefore his mind would never allow him to understand the real meaning of peace.

After all, his hands were stained with blood…

His life was cursed for killing so many innocents…

"Trowa, it's time to get up!" a voice shouted, and he looked away from his now clenched hands only to see a young woman with short and wavy brown hair walking towards his bed. "What are you doing? You're always the first to get up."

"I'm sorry." Trowa apologized in a quiet tone, and Catherine stared at him for a short period of time before shaking her head, her hands on her hips.

"Well, since you're already awake, you might as well get up. Breakfast is ready, and it will get cold if you don't hurry." she started, "By the way, you're friends are going to show up soon, aren't they? Do you have any idea when they'll arrive?"

With a small shake of his head, Trowa got up from his bed, and silently made his way towards the bathroom. Catherine, on the other hand, continued staring at the door Trowa had closed behind him before sighing; they were finally at peace, but there were still some people who were brutally plagued by sins.

"I just hope your friends are able to help you, Trowa." Catherine whispered as she continued staring at the door that lead to the bathroom, but it was then that she decided to leave. They were going to perform in a couple of days, and there was no time to get lazy.

All Catherine hoped though, was that Trowa's mind would allow him to find a way to get free from the chains of his past, and welcome the future. Yes, because if that did not happen, Catherine could not help but fear for her brother's sanity.

On the meantime, a young man was standing by one of the entrances of the airport, a bag resting close to his feet. A cap was shielding his eyes from the blazing sun, but his long chocolate brown hair was on its usual braid that reached past his waist. With a exasperate sigh, he crossed his arms against his chest before gazing around. Ah! Where was everyone? He was usually the last one to show up, but this time it seemed as if he had been the first to arrive!

"Man, where _is_ everyone?" Duo Maxwell finally snapped, resting his hands on his hips in frustration. "I don't carry a watch, so I can't possibly be _that_ early! This certainly can't be a joke, because it was Relena who called, but ahh, I'm going mad!"

"Patience is a virtue that you certainly don't have." a voice commented suddenly, and Duo looked over his shoulder only to face a Chinese black eyed boy, whose black hair was tied up into a small ponytail.

"Well, patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace, and both put together make a very pretty face." Duo retorted, but Wufei Chang just stared at him as if he was insane. "Trust me man, you don't want to know, so for now let me tell you, you're late."

"No, I'm not." Wufei retorted as he continued holding the bag he had slung over his shoulder, "I was inside when I happened to look in this direction, and saw you."

"What? You were inside this whole time?" Duo questioned, but he quickly started muttering things about not being the first to be there and therefore to have every reason to complain about everybody being late. "Are you the only one?"

"Heero and Quatre are inside as well."

"Say _what?_" Duo asked in a slightly higher tone, but Wufei just continued staring emotionlessly at him. "Then, why on earth did you guys let me stay under this killing sun? I could have suffered sunstroke for all I know."

Instead of replying, Wufei turned around, and walked inside the airport. After staring at the back of his friend for a few seconds, Duo finally snapped form his annoyed condition, and yelled for Wufei to wait for him as he hastily grabbed his own bag.

As he run after Wufei, and walked inside the airport, Duo could not help but wonder if Relena had had a good idea when she had decided to offer them those two week of vacation. For Duo they could not have come in better time; Hilde had been annoying the crap out of him again, and this small separation would do wonders, but Duo could not help but speculate about what would happen to the rest of his friends.

In fact, he did not even know what Relena had done to convince Heero and Wufei to go on those vacations, but then again, Duo knew it was safer to stay in the dark just this once. After all, while both Heero and Wufei could kill someone without blinking, Relena could be sly as a fox sometimes, and drag people into her plans by snapping her fingers.

Well, needless to say that all Duo hoped was that his friends would not end up doing something stupid, such as finding new enemies and ruin the whole vacations. Yes, because Duo knew that if things got too bored, something would be bond to happen, and then heads would roll. All he hoped was that his would not make part of the list.

**To Be Continued…**


	2. Spray of the Sea

**Disclaimer:** Everything here belongs to _Yoshiyuki Tomino_, _Hajime Yadate_, and _Katsuyuki Sumizawa_. I only own my own characters and the plot of this fic. Nothing else is mine. Ah, and the title of this fic, _Whispers in the Dark, _belongs to the band **Skillet**.

* * *

I decided to post this chapter sooner than what I had planned because **LilXzibit57**, **RedLion2**, **jellybean-kitty**, **lilac310**, **YingYangWhiteTiger** and **Relena Peace**'s reviews were just fantastic. I was somewhat reluctant about posting this story, but their words were more than enough to help me build up some courage and post the second chapter. All I hope is that you enjoy this. Thank you!

**Chapter 1**

_Spray of the Sea_

The hotel was absolutely fantastic; it was located just a few meters away from a never ending ocean, the beach painted with the most gorgeous sand ever seen. The sky and the sea were the limit, especially at the horizon, where both seemed to kiss for all eternity, getting lost in each other through gentle caresses and touches.

The breeze was also to die for, since it was invigorating, and carried the salty scent of the waves that continuously sang as they embraced the sand. A small number of people could be spotted at the beach, enjoying the tender touches of the sunrays as the sun started making its way down from its throne.

Three suites had been reserved, almost at the top of the hotel. The biggest one was going, as expected, to Relena, who had decided to stay all by herself. The two others would be shared by the Gundam pilots, as soon as they decided who should stay with whom.

"Man, this place is awesome!" Duo exclaimed as he gazed around since they were standing close to the reception, waiting for someone to give them the keys for their rooms, "Very expensive as well. Damn, the first vacations we have together, and we started with the right foot."

"Miss Relena, I can help you with the expenses." Quatre spoke in his gentle tone as he looked away from the ceiling to look at the young woman, as she took the keys from the receptionist with a 'thank you'. "This place must be exceptionally expensive."

"Nonsense, I invited you, so there's no need for you to worry about such thing." Relena started as she turned to the four young men, and handed a key to Quatre before handing a second one to Heero. "Shall we go check the rooms?"

"Oi Q-man, before I forget, I'm staying with you." Duo pointed out as the group walked to the lifts, and Quatre looked at him. "There's no way in this life I'm going to stay with Wu-man. He may try to kill me in my sleep for all I know."

At that, Wufei quickly smacked Duo on the back of his head before resting his hand on his hip, a blank expression on his face. It was also then that one lift arrived, but when Duo was about to step forward, Quatre grabbed his arm, and looked at Relena.

"Miss Relena, why don't you and Heero go ahead?" he asked politely, and Relena smiled thankfully at him before nodding, and step inside the lift, Heero following her in silence.

"Man, why did you do that?" Duo asked as he turned to Quatre, who dropped his hand when the doors of the lift closed.

"Idiot, don't you understand anything?" Wufei asked in a hiss, and while Duo sent him a confused look, Quatre smiled at their antics.

On the meantime, Relena and Heero were standing next to each other, waiting for the lift to take them to their floor. Silence was, as usual, their companion, but when Relena glanced at Heero by the corner of her eyes, she decided to give it a try.

"What do you think of the hotel, Heero?" she asked, her hands clasped in front of her skirt, but the pilot did not answer. "I thought it would be the most appropriated one, since it's close to the sea, and there's a small village not too far from here. I believe that's where Trowa is."

Once again, Heero said nothing, and Relena smiled to herself. He carried a serious posture as always, his Prussian-blue eyes locked with the doors of the lift. It was almost as if he was expecting for something to happen, but Relena knew those were just reflexes from spending so many years working as a soldier.

"I was thinking we could go pay Trowa a visit tonight." Relena continued, as she also looked at the doors of the lift, "Unless you'd like to stay at the hotel for the night, to settle down."

"Whatever." Heero finally said, and Relena glanced at him by the corner of her eyes before turning her head to him, a smile on her face.

"Ah, he speaks!" she teased, but Heero only grunted in reply, making the girl giggle lightly. Then, the doors of the lift opened up, and the two of them stepped out only to notice there were only five doors on that floor. "Shall we wait for the others?"

As expected, Heero said nothing as he gazed around, a suspicious look on his face. He was trying to make sure there was nothing wrong in there, and Relena knew that a thing such as that would not disappear any time soon. Besides, she actually felt flattered for noticing that even though the war had already ended, Heero was still trying to make sure that nothing happened to her.

Moments later, the second lift arrived, and Duo, Quatre and Wufei stepped out. The group did not take long to come with the decision that Relena should stay in the room in the middle. On the meantime, Heero and Wufei would stay on the room on the right, while Duo and Quatre went to the one on the left.

While the five friends went to their respective rooms, to settle down, Trowa was sitting on a box, legs crossed. Beside him, locked up in his cage was the lion that Trowa had befriended on the first night he had showed up at the circus. Everybody else was busy training for the performance of that night, including Catherine, who had now come up with a new idea of throwing knives with her eyes covered.

"Ah, I should have known you were here." a voice commented, but Trowa did not move as Catherine appeared from behind him. "Eh, mind telling me how I can practice when the target doesn't show up?"

"Sorry." was all Trowa said, but instead of gazing at the young woman, he looked at the lion next to him. "I needed to be alone for a while."

"You know I don't mind leaving you alone, but you also know that I would like to try to go through one last rehearsal before tonight." Catherine started, her hands resting on her hips. "You may be all fearless, but I still worry about the possibility of hitting you."

"He, who does not trust enough, will not be trusted." Trowa spoke before he could stop himself, his eyes still locked with the lion that was moving from one side of the cage to the other, and Catherine raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Lao Tzu, yes, I know, but hey, I feel honoured that you trust me that much." she started before smiling, "But then again, I always hoped that you did. Job or no job, not everyone accepts to work as a target of a knife-thrower as lightly as you did."

"It is my job." Trowa answered as he finally stood up, arms still crossed against his chest, and Catherine chuckled at his words before waving a hand in front of her face.

"Say, what about your own rehearsal?" she asked, "I mean, the boss finally allowed you to perform something in the trapeze. He told me he was going to give you green light tonight. Are you going to do something?"

This time, however, no answer came, and Catherine entitled her head to the side as she watched Trowa turn to the lion again. He was growing silent again; during the first month that had followed the end of the war, Trowa had tried to find tranquillity in silence and by getting away from everyone. On the second month, he had started talking to Catherine, and even though he was still quiet, he participated in all the events prepared by the circus.

But now, as the third month approached, Trowa was withdrawing to the interior of his shell again. And it was needless to say that Catherine was not exactly ecstatic with his behaviour; sometimes she just felt like shaking him the best she could to see if he snapped back to life.

"Trowa, I know this may be a tad boring for you, but let me practice just one last time before tonight." Catherine started after a short period of silence, "I just want to make sure everything goes well."

In silence, Trowa glanced at her, and nodded before turning his back to the lion, and started walking. Catherine, not wanting to give him an opportunity to walk away from her, quickly went after him. However, when she reached his side, Catherine glanced at Trowa through the corner of her eyes, and mentally sighed as she recalled a quote by George Bernard Shaw; 'peace is not only better than war, but infinitely more arduous'.

* * *

It was a blessing to be able to feel the spray of the sea, and feel the chilly sea breeze caressing everything it encountered. It was absolutely fantastic to be standing by the window, staring outside, and watch how the moonlight brought an unsteady blanket over the forever singing waves.

Yes, everything was simply perfect.

"Man, I'm hungry!" Duo complained from his bed as he rested his hands behind his head, and quietly Quatre looked away from the full moon to gaze at his friend. "How long are those guys going to take to get ready? They're behaving like women, and this is only the first day of vacations!"

"Well, one of the reasons why we came here was because we wanted to take it easy." Quatre started as he rested his hand on the window-frame, and glanced at the moon again. "But I guess I'm anxious about meeting Trowa again as well."

"Ah, and then the team will be completed!" Duo said with a smile on his face at same time he closed his eyes. "I really didn't expect for Wu-man and Heero to accept going to the circus so soon, but I guess Relena can be very convincing when she wants to be. After all, she managed to drag us all here."

"Yes, I just hope everybody manages to relax a little." Quatre confessed, his voice dropping a bit as he focused his attention on the sea. "This is such a beautiful place, and it would be a shame if they missed it."

"Well, even if they try to miss it, I'm sure Relena will convince them not to do it." Duo pointed out, and it was then that someone knocked on the door. "Man, I sure hope that's them."

"You ought to stop complaining Maxwell; you're beginning to sound too much like a woman." Wufei spoke as soon as he walked inside the room, after Quatre had opened the door. "If you must know, yes, we're ready. Now stop with such shameful whine, and move."

"Your order is my command, Wu-man." Duo answered with a taunting note, and Quatre immediately stepped in front of Wufei when he growled. "We mustn't make you angry; it's bad for your skin, they say."

Needless to say that Quatre had been forced to stop Wufei from killing Duo on the spot, and it was with slight difficulty that Quatre managed to drag his two friends out of the room. As expected, both Heero and Relena were already close to the lifts, in silence.

It took less than fifteen minutes for the limousine that Relena had requested to pull a few meters away from the travelling circus where Trowa was. As soon as the group left the vehicle, though, Duo started behaving like an extremely hyper and excited child, while Wufei scolded him. Quatre was quietly taking in every detail of that place, while Heero searched for any suspicious behaviour without leaving Relena's side.

"What about us going inside?" Relena asked as she looked from Heero to the rest of the group, but only Quatre nodded in agreement since Duo was too energized to hear a word while Wufei was wondering about how to kill second pilot.

"C'mon, kiddo," Wufei grunted under his breath before grabbing Duo by the back of his collar, and start dragging him to the interior of the tent, while everybody else walked ahead of them.

"Ah, c'mon Wu-man! I don't think I've ever been into a circus as a visitor, so let me have some fun before I die!" Duo complained, but Wufei continued to drag him through the crowd. "Man, never heard that one person can go mad or even unstable if he doesn't have any fun? I think you should worry about what stage you're in at the moment."

"Guys, take it easy." Quatre advised as they stepped inside the tent, and watched as the crowd slowly filled every row of seats.

In silence, Relena took them to one row of seats that was located right in front of the arena. Those were probably the best seats, but since it had been Relena who had taken care of everything, one could not expect anything else. And so, Heero quickly took the first seat while Relena sat down next to him, Quatre occupying the seat on her right side.

"Try not to kill each other, okay?" Quatre asked as he looked at Wufei and Duo, who were occupying the seats on his side, but while Wufei remained silent, Duo sighed at his luck.

"Are you having fun?" Relena asked as she looked at Heero, and noticed that he was glancing around, with a serious expression on his face. "Heero, can you please just loosen up a little bit? We established that you were here to have some fun for a change."

At that, Heero looked at her, and the two of them stared at each other for a short period of time. Then, Heero nodded in silent agreement, and Relena smiled slightly at him, relieved to see that her words had resulted in what she had expected. However, before she could even think of something else to say, Heero turned his head towards the arena.

Silently, Relena sat properly on her seat, and watched as the owner of the circus appeared in the middle of the arena to inform the crowd that the performance would begin in five minutes.

All she hoped was that that trip to the circus would end up with Heero and the others lightening up a little. She knew that such was a tough goal, but truth was that Relena Peacecraft was not known for being persistent and stubborn for nothing.

After contortionists, trapeze artists, clowns, and animal shows, Catherine Bloom was finally introduced to the public. With her name came Trowa Barton's and everyone started clapping when the two young adults appeared at the stage. As expected, Catherine was displaying her knives as she bowed to the public, while Trowa was dressed in his clown's outfit, half of a mask concealing the right side of his face.

"Yay, Trowa!" Duo shouted excitedly, but he yelped in pain when Wufei smacked him on the back of his head while hissing a 'be quiet'.

It was amazing how every individual of the public seemed to be holding his or her breathing as they watched Catherine throwing knives at Trowa. It was also rather amusing to hear them all releasing the breath they had been unconsciously holding every time Catherine missed hitting Trowa with the sharp objects, and hit the wooden plank behind the clown.

With a small smile on his face, Quatre found himself gazing away from Catherine and Trowa to glance discretely at Relena and Heero. He knew that the girl was trying to deepen her bond with Heero, and personally, Quatre hoped she managed to do it. After all, Heero had changed slightly in the past because of her. However, two people that had not changed at all were Wufei and Duo, at whom Quatre glanced moments later. However, it was nice to see that they had not changed; Duo's cheerfulness and friendliness did wonders to the group, while Wufei's fierceness was perfect to create a balance with Duo's personality.

But it was right when Quatre was just about to glance at Catherine, who had just announced that she was going to cover her eyes with a cloth, that he found himself glancing to a few rows to his right. He had absolutely no idea why he had glanced at that particular direction, but he narrowed his eyes when he spotted a man dressed in a black suit. That was certainly no outfit to wear for the occasion, especially since they were at a circus, but it was also then that Quatre noticed that that same man was looking back at him.

Or perhaps, it was not directly at him, but at someone who was beside him. Quietly in order not to draw any attention, Quatre looked to his left again, at Relena and Heero. Aside from them, there was only a girl sitting on their row of seats, who was watching Catherine and Trowa's performance. Perhaps that man was staring at Relena?

"Stop drawing attention." Wufei spoke suddenly, and Quatre looked at him only to notice that his friend staring at Catherine and Trowa, his arms pressed against his chest. "Ignore the man, he's alone, so he's probably just bored."

With a short nod, Quatre did what he was told, and looked at Catherine in time to see her throwing two knives at Trowa, her eyes now covered by a black cloth. Around him, people gasped when the knives landed inches away from Trowa's left ear and neck. The clown, however, did not even blink.

When Catherine threw one last knife at Trowa, and hit the wooden plank just above the young man's head, Quatre forced himself to relax. He knew Wufei was correct; those were times of peace, and he was supposed to be there to loosen up a little. However, why did his gut keep nagging him that there was something suspicious about the man in the black suit?

**To Be Continued…**


	3. A Second Glance

**Disclaimer:** Everything here belongs to _Yoshiyuki Tomino_, _Hajime Yadate_, and _Katsuyuki Sumizawa_. I only own my own characters and the plot of this fic. Nothing else is mine. Ah, and the title of this fic, _Whispers in the Dark, _belongs to the band **Skillet**.

* * *

I want to thank **jellybean-kitty**, **LilXzibit57**,**SylphWindDancer**,** IsabelleRose**, **YinYangWhiteTiger **and **RedLion2** for your support. I truly hope I won't disappoint you guys. Thank you for everything!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_A Second Glance _

Everyone was commemorating the amazing performance of that night, and they had inclusively created a small bonfire even though the night was already warm. People were laughing, eating and spending a nice time together at same time they started planning what to do for the next show.

Close to the cages were the pilots and Relena, either holding drinks or plates with food as they waited for Trowa to show up. When the performance had ended, Duo had raced to the third pilot, and told him that the rest of the team would be waiting for him outside. However, it had been Catherine who had invited them to join the rest of the circus in that small party, and due to Duo's constant whine, the group had decided to accept the invitation.

"This is so cool!" Duo commented as he watched everyone having fun, a wide smile on his face. "Ah, I'm so glad we accepted Catherine's invitation. This is far more interesting than being locked up in a hotel's room!"

"This reminds me of the celebrations the people of my country use to do." Quatre said as watched a few girls dancing around as they giggled. "It reminds me of home, somehow."

"Well, this is different." Relena started, a small smile gracing her pale features. "It's amazing how parties such as this one can bear so much glee. It's refreshing to witness a festivity such as this one when I think of all those I attended to in the past."

"We like to commemorate every time a show is a success." a voice spoke suddenly, and everyone watched as Catherine approached the group, holding a glass. "The boss enjoys this as well, because it allows us to loosen up and simply have fun."

"Well, but it seems that some people aren't being affected by all this." Duo started before gazing at both Heero and Wufei, who were looking unaffected by their surroundings. "But then again, they are hopeless."

"Well, perhaps all they need is a little bit of time to get used to all this." Catherine answered as she smiled, and Duo glanced at her before sighing at same time he shrugged. "Oh, there's Trowa! Oi, Trowa!"

Silently, the young man that had been wandering around close to the bonfire gazed at Catherine before noticing who was with her. As he rested his hands inside his pants' pockets, Trowa made his way towards the group.

"Trowa, my man, how are you?" Duo asked when the third pilot approached them, and then he smacked his friend lightly on the shoulder. "Long time no see. Never heard of something such as dropping a hello once in a while? It helps people not to think you're dead or something."

"I'm sorry." Trowa apologized in his quiet tone, but Duo simply smiled at him, "When did you arrive?"

"This afternoon, but we were all so excited that we decided to come and see you." Quatre elaborated, smiling as well, and Trowa nodded at the answer. "When's the next performance?"

"Tomorrow, because the boss isn't quite sure about how long the circus will stay here." Catherine decided to answer when Trowa refused to do so, and the blond looked at her. "You're welcome to come, if you want to. We always try something different at each new show."

"I'm grateful for your invitation." Relena said suddenly as she turned to the other girl, her hands clasped in front of her dark blue skirt. "But I'd like to ask if you mind if Trowa accompanies us every now and then, while we're here. I thought of this vacation as a way to draw the team together again."

"Well I personally don't mind, and I'm sure the boss will agree if I talk to him." Catherine answered before gazing at Trowa, and smile at him. "I really hope you enjoy this break, little Trowa."

"Ah don't worry about him; we'll make sure he has some fun!" Duo exclaimed as he pointed a thumb at himself, and Catherine smiled gratefully at him. "But right now I think I need to recharge my batteries."

"Yes, I believe you're right, we should return to the hotel." Relena said before gazing at Heero, and notice that he was looking around, a suspicious look in his dark eyes. "Heero; is everything alright?"

"…Yes." the pilot answered after a pause, but he continued looking around before gazing at Relena. "You're right; we must return to the hotel right away."

"Man, what's with you and bedtime?" Duo asked as he raised an eyebrow, but then he sighed and rested his hands on his hips. "You guys really need to start working on that; we're not little kids anymore."

"Idiot, you were the one who said that needed to boost his batteries again." Wufei grunted under his breath, and as expected, a new quarrel between the Chinese boy and Duo began.

"Well, I guess we'll meet tomorrow again." Quatre started, looking at both Trowa and Catherine. "Miss Relena told you where we're staying, correct? Then perhaps you could go meet us there tomorrow?"

Trowa simply nodded in reply, but while Quatre pushed both Duo and Wufei forward, the third pilot glanced at Heero, who looked back at him. Even though nothing was said, the two pilots seemed to have exchanged a message for both nodded at same time.

"Eh, what was that all about?" Catherine asked as she looked away from Relena and Heero, who were now following Quatre and the others. "Do you have some secret way of communicating?"

"Do you mind if I leave early in the morning?" Trowa asked back, and Catherine blinked at the question before shaking her head. She knew that Trowa probably had some unfinished business to take care of; all she hoped was that with the presence of his friends, Trowa would return to the more relaxed person she had had the possibility to observe on the previous month.

* * *

The sun was still making its way up in the sky, but both Heero and Trowa could already be spotted walking on the beach, close to the water's edge. No one else was there, and their footprints on sand indicated that that was the second time they were going on that direction. Duo and Quatre had been asked to keep an eye on Relena, while Wufei had decided to go check the village, and make sure that nothing wrong was going on.

"We should keep a sharp eye." Trowa commented suddenly, and Heero glanced at him by the corner of his eyes before nodding.

"I have both my eyes on Relena." the Prussian-blue eyed boy answered as he stuffed his hands into his jeans' pockets, and Trowa stopped his tracks to turn to the sunrise. "Quatre also noticed the man that was on the circus yesterday."

"There were two." Trowa quickly corrected, and Heero tore his eyes from the sun to look at him. "The second one was well positioned; he was in a corner, hidden by the shadows."

"After the war, I thought this would all be over." Heero muttered as he looked at the sun again, but it was then that he sat down on the sand, but Trowa continued standing. "This is pitiful; we're going to eliminate all obstacles."

"Hopefully Wufei will have something to tell us when he returns." Trowa answered as he crossed his arms against his chest, his eyes now glancing at the sea. "People were supposed to have accepted this new era…"

"For some, war is their life." Heero whispered high enough for Trowa to hear, and the third pilot looked down at him. "But I promised Relena I'd keep her safe, and I'm going to keep my promise."

"Let's wait for Wufei's report; afterwards, we'll debate about what we should do." Trowa started, and Heero nodded. "We need information about this possible enemy, but for now—"

"Heero!" a voice shouted from afar, and the two pilots looked over their shoulder only to see Relena dressed in a pale blue dress, running towards them, "Heero! Why didn't you tell me you were planning to come here? I love to watch the daybreak."

Instead of answering, Heero continued to watch the girl as she walked towards him, and then focused his attention on the sun once more. It took a matter of seconds for Relena to reach his side, and quickly sit down on the sand as well. Trowa, on the contrary, watched the two of them before gazing over his shoulder, and spot Duo and Quatre standing at the distance.

Without saying a word, Trowa turned around, and walked towards the two pilots, leaving Heero and Relena alone. All of them knew that Relena was trying to show them that they could behave like normal civilians, but it was also true that they were aware that Relena was desperately trying to deepen her bond with Heero Yuy.

"Aw, how cute, never thought I'd live to see the day Heero would act all lovey-dovey." Duo commented when Trowa reached his side, his hands on his hips. "Do you think I can tease him afterwards?"

"Let them be Duo, it took Miss Relena a great deal to bring us all here." Quatre started, but a smile was playing on his lips. "It's good to see Heero relaxing a little bit, even though we're assuming that an enemy has showed up."

"Yeah, I wonder if Wu-man found something about that." Duo muttered now scratching his cheek in thought, and then he sighed. "Man, I should have known we would never have a normal vacation. I don't know why I even go through the trouble of believing that we can be a bit normal..."

"Well, I guess this is what we get for being soldiers." Quatre said with a sigh, "I believe that peace surpasses war, and I like to believe in those who wish for peace, but…it seems that there's always someone who'd give everything for war."

"Eh, and it seems that it's always our job to stop the bad guys." Duo retorted as he scratched the side of his head, but it was then that he glanced at Quatre. "But while we wait, you're coming with me. I need some sugar rush."

Less than one hour after Duo had uttered those words, the second and fourth pilots could already be spotted wandering around through a small supermarket. Quatre was the one pushing the shopping cart while Duo looked at every shelf, wondering about what he should buy or not. Needless to say, most of the things inside the cart were not sugar free.

"Say, Quatre, what do you think if we take these to Relena?" Duo asked as he pointed at some chocolates that were displayed in a top shelf. "It's true she only invited us because she knew Heero would not come all by himself, but we could give her this to show her our gratitude."

"Well, we could buy them…" Quatre started before trailing off, and sigh. "But those are going to be the last chocolates we buy, okay?"

"Aww, why?" Duo whined, and Quatre shook his head in reply. "Hey, don't do that. I just heard that chocolate is a fantastic medicine against depressions, so I'm willing to use my own money to buy chocolate for Heero. Heavens knows he needs to go through more mood-swings."

"Duo, Heero is not depressed." Quatre started as he took one box of cookies from the shelf behind his friend. "He's just quiet and serious. But you have to admit that Miss Relena is a great help."

"Women and their mysterious ways…" Duo replied as he shook his head, and Quatre smiled at him. In silence, Quatre pushed the shopping cart forward, and consequently crashed against another that had appeared from the other side of the aisle.

"Oh, I'm so sorry…" Quatre quickly apologized while Duo chuckled, and the person that had been pushing the other shopping cart finally emerged. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I wasn't looking to where I was going, I'm sorry." the girl answered after taking the earphone off her right ear, which had been hidden by her long brown hair, "But other than that, there's no harm done."

"I apologize again." Quatre said with a short nod, but the girl simply smiled at him, and Duo took the opportunity to step forward, hands on his hips.

"C'mon Quatre, we have six stomachs craving for chocolate." the American boy pointed out with a smile. "I certainly am not going to be lectured by Wufei simply because you decided to leave your timid shell, and start flirting with a girl at the supermarket."

"A-aah, Duo!" Quatre stuttered with a faint blush on his cheeks, and the girl, who had was now walking past the two of them, stopped her tracks, and turned to them.

"Quatre?" she repeated, and the two boys looked at her in confusion, "As in Quatre Raberba Winner?"

"That would be me, yes." the blond answered with a short nod while Duo watched the two of them with a suspicious look on his face. "Err, have we meet before?"

"Oh my, Quatre!" the girl exclaimed suddenly, her grey eyes widening in surprise and shock. "Last time I saw you we were like thirteen or something! It's me! Kesi Saira!"

"Kesi?" Quatre repeated, and Duo looked at him before glancing at the girl when she nodded. "I hum…., Saira you say? I don't think I…" suddenly his blue orbs widened in recognition, "Kesi Saira! Of course! I…y-you look different!"

"Not as much as you do." the girl laughed, and Quatre smiled at her. "For a moment I thought you didn't remember me. But anyway, how are you?"

"Err, I'm sorry for interrupting the conversation, but we really don't have much time." Duo interjected suddenly, "We need to finish this and return before the others start thinking we got killed or something."

"Ah, you're right." Quatre said before turning to Kesi, and smile apologetically at her. "I'm sorry, but my friend is right. It's almost lunch time, and our friends will most likely start wondering where we are."

"Oh, I understand. I guess I got a little carried away." Kesi said with a small and rather embarrassed laugh. "It was great to see you again, though. And hey, maybe we'll crash into each other again."

"What about me giving destiny a little push?" Duo asked suddenly, and Kesi looked confusedly at him. Before Quatre could stop him, the second pilot quickly told the girl where they were staying. "And you can show up at any time. Just ask for one of us at the reception."

"Oh, I…sure, I guess I can drop by later." Kesi started unsure, but when Duo smiled at her, she returned the smile. "I…well; I guess I'll see you later then. Once again, it was nice seeing you again, Quatre."

"Same here, and please, drop by the hotel whenever you want." Quatre said, and Kesi nodded before walking to her shopping cart again, and walk away. When the two pilots were alone, Quatre gazed at Duo, "Mind telling me what you're doing?"

"Aw, c'mon Q-man, she seemed like a nice girl, and apparently you haven't seen each other for a few years…" Duo started in a nonchalant tone, but his eyes quickly sparkled with excitement. "Besides, don't you find weird how you just _happened_ to crash into her, in the middle of a supermarket, one day after we spotted those weird guys at the circus?"

"You think Kesi may be involved in all this?" Quatre asked as he raised an eyebrow slightly, and Duo shrugged before smacking his friend gently on the arm.

"Well, if she's not, then you have all the time in the world to start getting along with her." he started as he turned to their own supermarket cart, and started pushing it forward. "And if you guys manage to get along nicely, why not invite her to go out on a date?"

"D-Duo!" Quatre exclaimed, but his friend simply laughed.

**To Be Continued…**


	4. Moonlight Stars

**Disclaimer:** Everything here belongs to _Yoshiyuki Tomino_, _Hajime Yadate_, and _Katsuyuki Sumizawa_. I only own my own characters and the plot of this fic. Nothing else is mine.

* * *

O.M.G! It has been a year! What the hell was I thinking? Does anyone even remember this story? (smacks herself on the forehead) Good heavens, I'm an idiot. I really hope that those who may still check this story once-in-a-while can forgive me for taking a whole year to post a new chapter. I am really, really, really sorry!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_Moonlight Stars_

Last breathes; those were what his mind recalled the most. Bullets, explosions, fires, fear, determination, death…all those were the background of his dreams since the main role belonged exclusively to last breathes. To all those last breathes he had been forced to tear away from life during his own quest for survival.

Sometimes he would dream about the childhood he had not had, and even imagine how his adolescence would have been if he had not been labelled as the perfect solider. But most of those dreams were tortures, which resulted in empty feelings.

He had never felt that way; empty while guilty consumed both his limbs and soul. He guessed that was the price he had to pay for ending the war, and he did not complain about it. How could he, when he had taken so many lives? How could he protest about being plagued by haunting nightmares, when so many had lost their loved ones because of what he had done?

In silence, he pushed the cover off him, and dressed into a pair of jeans and blue t-shirt without a sound before leaving the room. As he stuffed his hands inside his jeans' pockets, Heero made his way down the stairs until he walked through the doors of the hotel, and was immediately welcomed by a salty sea breeze.

As he glanced at the sky, Heero quickly noticed that the sun was about to rise from underneath the waves. Unhurriedly, he made his way towards the beach, without bothering to take his sneakers off. There was no one there, but that was already expected due to the early hour, but Heero was thankful for that. He had been in need for some harmony and serenity, but ironically those two things were the only ones he had never been able to fully feel and appreciate in the past.

When he was a few steps away from the waves, Heero sat down on the sand, and raised his knees while he rested his hands on his sides for support. The cold breeze of the sea felt like a chilly caress against his face and hair, and after a deep breath, Heero lay down on his back.

Was that what people called a moment of peace?

After a few moments listening to the waves, Heero opened his eyes, and glanced at the sky again. He knew why Relena had practically dragged them to that place, but despite of everything he could not feel grateful for it. He was the perfect soldier after all, too used to wars and death to actually get acquainted with something such as peace. It was not as if he did not appreciate the fact he no longer had to kill people, but he guessed that despite of everything he had gotten used to it all.

Suddenly, Heero felt someone sit down next to him, and looked to his left only to see Trowa there, watching the waves. For a moment nothing was said, but as the sun finally started to leave the depths of the sea, Heero sat up as well. There was no need to question Trowa about why he had decided to show up so early in the morning; after all, the two of them understood each other quite well without using words.

"Apparently, Quatre met an old friend yesterday." Heero commented, as he raised his right knee and rested his arm on it, and Trowa glanced at him. "I'm going to check her background. Her sudden appearance along with those guys we saw at the circus sounds too good to be just a coincidence."

"An old friend?" Trowa repeated as he turned to Heero, and the Prussian-blue eyed boy nodded in agreement. "What did Quatre tell you about her?"

"Apparently she's the second heir to her father's Corporation." Heero started as he looked back at Trowa. "Quatre mentioned her father's the owner of the _Shouri _Corporation."

"_Shouri…_" Trowa whispered as he looked down at the sand for a moment, but when Heero nodded, he looked up again. "I heard that Company is involved with the army. I believe it has to do with new prototypes."

"Yes, I heard the same thing, and that's exactly why I'm going to do a research about her ancestors." Heero said before standing up, Trowa following him with his eyes. "Either way, Duo was actually intelligent enough to tell her where we are. This way, we can keep an eye on her as well."

At that Trowa nodded, and moments later the two of them left the beach, and made their way back to the hotel.

* * *

With a sigh, Relena watched as Heero continued typing at full speed on the small keyboard of the laptop. Trowa was leaning against the wall next to the desk, and Quatre was looking through some files on the bed. Duo had left saying that he was going to try to find the girl he and Quatre had met at the supermarket while Wufei had explained that he was going to the library.

It seemed as if all her attempts to help the boys relaxing were going down the drain, but then again, Relena knew they were pilots and that old habits died hard. Not only that but she had not been very excited about those vacations at the beginning either, although now her opinion had clearly changed. After all, those vacations were the perfect excuse for her to get closer to Heero…or they were supposed to be.

As she looked away from Heero's back, Relena glanced at the window, and watched as the sea seemed to sparkle under the intense light from the sun. Well, she guessed that the boys could stay in the room, and even though she wanted to be close to Heero, Relena did not feel like wasting such a beautiful day.

"I'm going to the beach." Relena finally said as she stood up from the sofa, and Heero quickly stopped typing while both Trowa and Quatre looked at her. "You're all too occupied, and it's such a perfect day. I just want to take advantage of it."

"What if one of us goes with you, Miss Relena?" Quatre asked, but the girl looked at him before shaking her head.

"Don't worry about me; I'll be at the beach throughout the morning." Relena replied, "Besides, you can keep an eye on me through the window, if you find it necessary. I won't be long."

Slowly, Heero turned around on his chair, but before something could be said, the door of the room was opened, and a smiling Duo emerged from the hall. He looked more excited that usual…

"People, look who I found standing by the door of the hotel when I was coming back!" Duo exclaimed joyfully before stepping aside, and motion for someone to walk in before him.

"K-Kesi!" Quatre blurted out at the sight of the brunette they had been researching for, and the girl blushed faintly before smiling nervously.

"Nice to see you again, Quatre." she said, but her posture showed that she was not comfortable at all. "I umm…I saw Duo downstairs, and he said he knew where you were, so I…"

"I decided to bring her here!" Duo finished as he walked inside the room, closing the door behind him. "I mean, Relena would probably appreciate some female presence no?"

"Well, I don't believe we have been introduced." Relena said as a reply before walking gracefully towards the other girl, and bow slightly. "Nice to meet you, my name is Relena Peacecraft."

There was a moment of silence, during which Heero and Trowa watched the slightly chubby girl staring in surprise and shock at Relena. Her expression, however, was quickly replaced by a nervous one as she bowed as well.

"My name is Kesi Saira; I'm an old friend of Quatre's." Kesi quickly explained, but she only raised her head after Relena. "It's an honour to meet you, Miss Peacecraft."

"No need for formalities, so please call me Relena." the violet-eyed girl corrected, and Kesi nodded in silent understanding. "And since you're here, would you mind accompanying me to the beach? The boys are quite occupied at the moment."

"Oh, of course not," Kesi answered with a small shake of her head, and Relena smiled at her before turning to the boys, and almost instantly she looked at Heero, who gazed back at her.

Without saying a word, Relena made her way towards the door of the room before walking away, Kesi following her closely. When Kesi closed the door behind her, Duo looked at the rest of his team, and rested his hands behind his neck.

"So, am I good or am I good?" he asked, but Heero simply looked back at the computer's screen while Trowa continued resting against the wall. Quatre quickly resumed to his reading, and Duo sighed moments later. "These guys…"

"Tetsuo Saira is the owner of the _Shouri _Company, which has joined the army a few decades ago, and it has taken over all the technology and creates new prototypes for the government." Heero started as he read the text that was beside a family picture in the laptop's screen. "Apparently his son, Re Saira, is the direct heir."

"Yes, her family is quite prosperous." Quatre confirmed as he looked up from the papers he was holding. "I remember Mr. Saira; he was a very materialistic man, I'm afraid. He was too obsessed with money to actually care about his family."

"Man, who doesn't enjoy making money nowadays?" Duo asked as he sat down on the bed, and reached out for one of the papers lying around on the mattress. "What do they say about Kesi?"

"She is the second heiress of the _Shouri _Company." Heero continued, without taking his eyes off the screen. "But since her brother is the first born, he's the one who'll take over the business one day."

"So, it would make sense if Kesi would try to kill her brother, but why kill Relena?" Duo asked as he dropped the paper he had grabbed before resting his elbows on his legs. "I mean, it doesn't make much sense."

"The Peacecrafts adhered to a philosophy of total pacifism." Heero started as he started typing again, "And the Sanq Kingdom is supported by those who long have grown tired of the war. Even though the war is over, Relena is planning conferences and meetings to make sure that peace lingers, and the Saira family clearly supports war."

"Well, just because her father is the owner of a Corporation that builds prototypes for war it doesn't mean she has the same ideal." Duo started, and slowly Heero dropped his hands down to his lap before turning around, a blank expression on his face.

"Obviously, but there are aspects we cannot reject." he started, and Duo continued staring at him while Trowa had his head down, and Quatre was now gazing at the window in front of him. "Kesi Saira was at the circus on the same night we were. She was sitting right next to me."

"Are you sure?" Quatre asked in a rather low voice, and Heero glanced coldly at him before nodding. With a sigh, Quatre looked down at his knees. "I see…"

"Duo, I want you to go meet Wufei. I want the two of you to find if the Saira family has done anything in the past that we can use against them." Heero started, and Duo nodded from the bed. "Quatre, I want you to keep searching for every details concerning Tetsuo Saira. If he is obsessed with money, it will only take a matter of time for him to do something. And Trowa…"

Slowly the brown haired boy opened his eyes, and stared at Heero for a moment before nodding. Clearly, he and Heero would have to keep an eye on both Relena and Kesi, and make sure that no harm came to the Peacecraft heiress.

**To Be Continued…**

After one year, all I do is post a four pages chapter. (sweatdrops) Shame on me… I hope you guys can forgive me for taking so darn long to come back. I will try to update sooner next time! Thank you, and once again, sorry!


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